1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the forming and printing of paper products having a folded flap, pocket, envelope or the like portion, particularly paper products made from a moving web of paper in which the opposed edges of the moving web are continually folded inwardly to form envelopes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In known systems for forming and printing sheet-like paper products having a folded flap, pocket, envelope or the like portion, printing is applied to either or both sides of the unfolded stock or web as it is advanced and thereafter the stock or web is glued and the opposed edges thereof are folded inwardly into the desired form. As a result of folding the opposed edges inwardly the folded finished product has a width which is less than the maximum width of web which the printing apparatus can accommodate.
In the forming and printing of inserts for magazines, advertising brochures, etc. which include envelopes that may be used, for example, as reply envelopes for ordering merchandise, subscribing, etc., printing is carried out on an unfolded moving web of paper. Thereafter, the web of paper is glued and folded to form an insert having an envelope at each end. Each envelope includes a rear flap which extends over a substantial portion of the rear of the envelope when it is sealed.
Presses such as roll-fed offset printing presses currently being used for printing inserts of this type are limited with respect to the maximum width of the web of paper which can be handled. For example, a commonly used commercial offset press is limited to webs of approximately 173/4 inches maximum width. Printing, scoring, slitting, gluing, etc. are all carried out on the full width of the web prior to folding the opposed edges of the moving web by means of guides known as plows. Upon folding the web to form envelopes, the width of the finished insert is reduced to a width of substantially less than 173/4 inches. Thus, with a limit of 173/4 inches for the width of the web which can be printed on, the size of the resulting envelopes and/or the rear flaps of the envelopes, as well as the overall width of the finished insert are limited.
In order to provide larger envelopes, for example to satisfy postal regulations, it is necessary to reduce the size of the rear flap while retaining the same overall maximum size of the unfolded stock or web supplied to the printing apparatus. It has not heretofore been possible to provide an insert having an overall width which exceeds the width that the printing apparatus can accommodate.
Although U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,899,381 and 4,066,251 disclose printed products, neither relates to a paper product or insert of the type described above. U.S. Pat. No. 3,899,381, issued on Aug. 12, 1975, relates to the production of direct-mail advertising booklets from a continuous web of superposed paper-like strips or sheets. U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,251, issued on Jan. 3, 1978, relates to the production of combination mailing envelopes and return envelopes from a plurality of continuous webs of sheet material; one of the webs is folded to form a front panel of the mailing envelope and a back panel common to the mailing envelope and the return envelope.